‘Mental Health on Record’

Filmmaking workshop at The National Archives

We will be running our next exciting film project, ‘Mental Health on Record’, from Monday 29th July to Friday 2nd August 2019, and we have places for 14 enthusiastic young people (aged 16-19 years) to take part.

Working with professional filmmaker, Nigel Kellaway, you will have the opportunity to explore original documents from our collection on the subject of mental health. These records reflect the personal stories of individuals from history, whose experiences show how mental health was represented and misunderstood in the past.

You will also work with mental health charity Richmond Borough Mind, to learn about contemporary mental health challenges and how people can seek advice and support today.

Taking part in this project will enable you to:

- Research the history of mental health using original documents, with support from our Education team and record experts.
- Learn filmmaking skills with a professional from the industry
- Collaborate with mental health charity Richmond Borough Mind
- Work creatively with like-minded young people
- Take part in a unique project that combines historical stories from our records with modern day perspectives on mental health

If you’d like to take part in ‘Mental Health on Record’, please email us at education@nationalarchives.gov.uk with 150 words about why you would like to contribute to this project.

You will need to be available for the entire project week and a welcome day on Saturday 13 July 2019. The closing date for applications is Monday 1st April 2019.

Applicants who took part in last year’s project ‘Holding History’, gave this feedback on the experience:

I think learning about preservation and discovering history for ourselves is really fulfilling. – Hayerin

I think it’s really important to give young people a chance to understand the archives and what they do. - Jenny

The National Archives

Title image: These items were the belongings of Mary Smith when she died in 1810. (Catalogue reference: C114/190) Mary Smith once lived at Christ’s Hospital in London. She was described as a ‘lunatic’ and that’s all we know about her. No one collected her possessions following a court case.